He Who Dances with Shadows
by BlackBird6295
Summary: When he leads a team of his Genin comrades that ends in disaster, Shikamaru struggles with his paranoia of being unwanted by his comrades, and also struggles with his inside feelings toward them. I suck at summaries
1. Visiting Hour

_**VISITING HOUR**_

_If being smart means what you say, then I'll be a fool for the rest of my life._

Naruto's words still rang in Shikamaru's head like bells that wouldn't stop. Naruto along with Neji, Chouji, and Kiba were left hospitalized from the mission embarked on to save Sasuke from Orochimaru, and, more importantly, from himself.

_Hm. I guess revenge is a powerful thing. How troublesome. To think we could have stood a chance against the Sound Four is beyond me._ Shikamaru thought as he walked the halls of the Hidden Leaf Hospital.

It took Shikamaru a load of guts to even set foot in the hospital. He couldn't go anywhere lately knowing that on his first mission as a newly made Chunin, he not only failed, but his entire team had been hospitalized, three of them in critical condition and one who had a few cuts and bruises. Naruto Uzumaki, he was an interesting one. He always had that special talent of going the furthest, but leaving with the least.

Of all of us, he was the only one who had gotten to Sasuke himself, and fought to his last breath. From what I hear from Kakashi, Sasuke was able to beat him, even though Naruto was the most headstrong knucklehead he knew. His condition was particularly bad, but Naruto had a special trait about him: his mysterious quality of being able to heal exceptionally fast. It was beyond all understanding. This, of course, is how he was able to get out of his heartbreaking battle with Sasuke with nothing but a few cuts and bruises, while the others fought in the hospital to stay alive while in near-death condition.

Shikamaru signed in with the hospital reception and proceeded down the hallway to the elevator. The receptionist had given him a list of those he was allowed to see, and their room numbers. He looked at the list and realized that the only ones he was allowed to see were Kiba and Naruto. He half expected this to happen. Kiba was badly wounded, but it was nothing that required top priority medical attention. Naruto, well, his battle with Sasuke he assumed was intense, but considering what Lady Hokage had said when he brought him back to Konoha, Shikamaru wasn't surprised that Naruto ended up with minor injuries.

~_Flashback~_

_Kakashi Hatake, also known as 'The Copy Ninja' of the Hidden Leaf, dashed through the trees, carrying an unconscious Naruto in his arms. Naruto was very badly wounded. Kakashi found him unconscious lying down on the cold stone of the Valley of the End, drenched in the pouring rain. Sasuke's Hidden Leaf headband was lying next to him. Sasuke intended to leave everything behind him, and with defeating Naruto in battle, he had accomplished his goal._

_Naruto.. Kakashi thought. Knowing you, he must've put up a damn good fight._

_Kakashi finally arrived in the Hidden Leaf, rushing him to the emergency center. Once he arrived, he saw the 5__th__ Hokage, trying to organize the hectic activity that was going on in the emergency center. He immediately rushed to her. _

"_Tsunade." _

_Tsunade whirled around, expecting to see another meaningless hospital form or paperwork of some sort. _

"_What!" She yelled, but then stopped herself when she realized it was Kakashi. Her eyes met his, and that had calmed her down. Just by the look in the copy ninja's eyes, she was sent spiraling into a somewhat somber mood. _

"_We have one more." Kakashi said in a somewhat hushed and somber tone. Tsunade's gaze shifted from Kakashi's eyes to his cargo. Naruto Uzumaki. A moment of silence passed by before Tsunade put her hand on the Genin's wet forehead, then slid down to his whiskered cheek. A tear dropped down from her left eye as she stared at the boy in silence for a moment._

"_So. He got Naruto did he..?" She said in a quiet tone. "Who would've thought."_

_Tsunade took Naruto in her arms and looked at Kakashi with a grateful expression on her face. She was met with a nod of the Jonin's head, who then disappeared. Tsunade rushed Naruto to an emergency room, where he was patched up while in his unconscious state._

_Shikamaru waited outside the room Naruto was in, tempted and aggravated at the red surgical light that stopped him from seeing his friend in need. Shikamaru was silent as Tsunade walked out of the emergency room, removing her surgical gloves and mask. She noticed that Shikamaru was the only one in the waiting room. Though this isn't surprising to her, because this was the room Naruto was in. All of the villagers hated him for the 9-tails incident that had happened 13 years before. This thought in mind, she looked at the shadow ninja, and he looked back at her with a worried face. _

_Tsunade's eyes relaxed as she walked over to Shikamaru, throwing her gloves and mask into a biohazard waste container. She sat down next to Shikamaru, and let a few silent moments pass by._

"_Shikamaru, this was your first mission leading as a Chunin, am I mistaken?"_

"_No ma'am. It was my first mission." _

_Tsunade looked around the room, trying to find the words._

"_Shikamaru, it is absolutely wonderful that you care about your friends. That's why you're here, is it not?"_

_Shikamaru shifted his gaze from the Hokage to the floor and nodded. _

"_..Yeah." He sighed._

"_Shikamaru, that is why I respect you. You are an excellent leader, by the likes that will go very far in your career as a shinobi. I trust you with all my heart. I know that you would follow your comrades to the very end, and that is why you are an excellent shinobi in my eyes."_

_He slowly turned his head and looked back at the Hokage, tears streaming down his face from both eyes. He shook his head at her in an angry and sad way. He stood up from the bench and looked right into the Godaime's eyes._

"_No, no I'm not!" He yelled. "I'm nothing but a coward. If I was what you said, I wouldn't be sitting here. If I were a good leader and a caring comrade, I would be in one of these rooms, suffering with my comrades! Not waiting for them, hoping that everything was going to be okay like a God damn child!"_

_He threw his fist at the wall as he yelled and sobbed. He slammed the rest of his arm perpendicular to the wall and dug his face into the crook of his arm, letting it soak up his tears as he cried. Tsunade just let Shikamaru let it out. It was what he desperately needed. After a moment, he somewhat regained control of himself. He walked over to the Hokage, who wore a calm but serious face._

"_On top of all that, we failed the mission! We couldn't get Sasuke back, even when we fought until all of us nearly dropped dead. Chouji nearly died of physical exhaustion and a crushed throat, Neji had countless wounds from sand kunai and arachnid venom embedded into his chakra network and is now near death, Kiba and Akamaru are in critical condition from chakra exhaustion and numerous blade wounds,-" Shikamaru paused to bring his thumb up to his left eye and clean a tear off of his face. " and Naruto—"_

"_Is going to be just fine." Tsunade interrupted._

_Shikamaru stopped almost immediately, now staring at the Hokage with wide eyes, eyes holding a glimmer of hope._

"_Shikamaru, I see that you have done your homework. You seem to know each of your squad mates' conditions by heart, that is, except for Naruto's. Well, I guess I'll fill you in. He has suffered from severe chakra depletion; he also has multiple wounds caused by kunai and shuriken: three in his chest, two in his abdomen, two on his left shoulder and one on his right thigh. He also has 3__rd__ degree burns on his abdomen and chest from fire style jutsu, and is currently unconscious." Tsunade reported._

_The tactician looked into her eyes with utmost disbelief. "But how… how is he still alive after all of that!"_

_Tsunade just looked at the curious Shikamaru, trying to find what to say next. She knew that only she, the 3__rd__ Hokage, and Kakashi knew about how it is the Kyuubi's doing that allows Naruto to heal himself naturally at an exponential rate. Nobody else knew about how Kyuubi was sealed inside of Naruto, so she knew that she had to be careful with her wording._

"_Naruto is going to be fine because his body is of Senju descent." She said._

_Shikamaru looked at her like she had two heads._

_Tsunade sighed. "You don't know what that means, do you." _

_Shikamaru shook his head in genuine curiosity. _

"_Since he is of Uzumaki origin, his bloodline traces back to the Senju clan, the clan of the First Hokage."_

_Shikamaru's eyes widened._

"_Let me ask you something. Have you ever noticed how I can use my chakra reserves that I build up in my forehead to rapidly heal my body?"_

"_Oh yeah, Naruto mentioned something like that to me when he returned from a training mission with Master Jiraiya." Shikamaru replied, finally understanding a little bit._

"_Well, that is because I am of Senju origin also. I am the granddaughter of the First Hokage."_

_Shikamaru slightly opened his mouth in shock of what he had just heard from the Fifth._

"_I inherited my healing powers from the Senju bloodline, which happens to also be linked to the Uzumaki clan. You see, Naruto also inherited this same power, and that is why he was able to stay alive."_

_~END Flashback~_

Shikamaru glanced at the list as he was walking, folded it up and put it in his Chunin vest.

_I guess I'll see Kiba first. I know he was pretty banged up. _

The raven walked to the elevator, pressed the up button and walked inside. He went up to the third floor, where the majority of his fallen comrades were recuperating.

He stepped out of the elevator down the hall, observing the signs on the doors. He noticed one nurse was removing the nametag on one of the doors. Shortly after, a family of four appeared at the door with tulips and sorrowful faces. Shikamaru paused to observe the scene taking place. Clutching his heart, he said a short prayer in his mind and moved on to see his friend. Further down the hall, he walked up to the door the read "253 – Inuzuka Kiba". He turned the door handle and walked inside.

Kiba slowly shifted his head from staring at the ceiling to look at Shikamaru. He was met with a soft smile as his eyes met the raven's, and Kiba relinquished a laid back smile of his own as his eyes relaxed on Shikamaru's image.

"Hey bud, how ya doin?" Kiba said hoarsely, obviously struggling with letting the words out.

"Ha ha, good one." The raven said sarcastically. "I should be asking you."

"Oh come on, Shikamaru. Do you really think that I would be the kind of guy that worries about himself all the time?"

Shikamaru laughed. "Nope, I guess not. You never were that type of guy. You're _way_ too headstrong to look after yourself."

"Well, as long as we make it out okay in the end, I don't care what happens to me in the meantime." Kiba said assuringly.

A moment of silence passed before the raven opened his mouth.

"Kiba, you really shouldn't think of yourself that way. You're better than that."

Kiba laughed at Shikamaru's heartfelt statement.

"Hey, come on, I thought that you would know me enough by now to realize that I'm all about the team, and not at all about myself."

Kiba sat up in sudden jolt. "Speaking of which, how is everyone else doing?"

Shikamaru paused. "Um, well, last time I checked, Chouji and Neji are still in intensive care, but their conditions have stabilized."

"And Naruto?" Kiba asked as if the raven forgot about him.

"I'm going to see him after we chat. From what Lady Tsunade told me, he was in _really _bad shape."

Kiba's eyes did not leave the shadow ninja's for a second.

"And what about Sasuke? Did Naruto get him?" Kiba asked anxiously. Shikamaru just looked at him. That was enough for Kiba to know exactly what happened.

Kiba laid back down looking sad and unsatisfied at the very least. Shikamaru wasn't sure if he was mad at him, or if he was just mad at himself. Shikamaru slowly moved his eyes to the ground with a light frown.

"We are so pathetic."

Shikamaru looked up at Kiba at his startling words. Of all the things Kiba could've said, that was about the last thing Shikamaru expected to hear.

"Don't say that Kiba. I am proud of all of you. We all gave it everything we had."

Kiba shot a semi-angry look at the boy. "Yeah, we gave it everything we had, and failed miserably."

"Kiba, there was nothing we could've done."

"Shikamaru, please! Look around you! We gave it our best shot and where did it land us?"

Shikamaru looked back down.

"Four in the hospital and a lost Uchiha." The raven said as he clenched his fists.

Kiba just looked at Shikamaru, half expecting him to get up and walk away. After all, he didn't come to visit him to fight. This made Kiba kind of feel bad for his friend. He knew that it must've been hard for him to accept that his first mission leading as a Chunin was a failure.

"Shikamaru, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. I-"

"No. Don't be. I deserve it." Shikamaru's eyes started welling up with tears. He didn't blame Kiba for getting mad at him in the least bit.

In reaction to his words, Kiba stopped and stared at the tactician, confused out of his mind. Why did Shikamaru deserve to be ridiculed by a teammate? He didn't, well at least to Kiba; Shikamaru wasn't to blame for the outcome of the mission.

"What..? How do you deserve it? You did everything that you could, remember?"

"No. If I did, then I would be the one in the hospital bed."

"Shika.."

"It's not fair to you guys that you are all in medical care while I got out almost without a scratch. I don't know what to tell you, Kiba. All I feel. All I have felt since that mission was filthy."

"Hey Shikamaru, do me a favor." Kiba said. Shikamaru looked up at the sudden words.

"What is it?"

"Come here." Kiba said, beckoning to him.

Shikamaru got up from the chair across the room to Kiba's bedside.

"Closer."

Shikamaru followed his orders.

Kiba whispered into his ear, with a hoarse voice.

"I need you… to shut your trap before I shut it for you."

At this, Shikamaru backed away cautiously about a foot away from Kiba, who was staring into his eyes. He didn't expect that. He didn't expect that at all.

"Wh—what..?" Shikamaru mumbled.

"Shikamaru, when you speak such words about yourself, you insult yourself. And by insulting yourself, you insult my friend, his efforts, and his team's efforts up to this point." Kiba explained.

Shikamaru listened intently to Kiba's words. He was right. If he went on depressed about his mission, he completely dulls and diminishes his team's efforts and morale.

_Hm. _The tactician thought. _Kiba, looks like you're a better leader than I. After all, what kind of leader am I, who unknowingly goes around, swallowing up morale and the efforts of my team?_

"Kiba."

Kiba replied with a look into the raven's eyes.

"Thank you." Shikamaru said.

"Anytime buddy. Just remember one thing. You are a Chunin now. Know that you need to take responsibility for a mission, be it success, _or_ failure. And lead the Genin under you responsibly. You need to gain their trust and understand each and every one of them to guide them under your wing so that they will follow you with whatever action you take."

Shikamaru, with one last look down at the floor, nodded. He deeply thought that he failed to do all of these things. His comrades were wasting away in a hospital while he walked the streets unharmed.

"Kiba… I am so sorry. How could I ever lead shinobi when it turns out like this…Why should they follow me?"

"Shikamaru." Kiba said firmly, his voice less hoarse from talking.

The raven looked up into his fallen comrade's eyes, which were sincere in all respects.

"If I knew that you were to lead us on a mission again…"

Shikamaru blinked.

"I would… _we_ would follow you anywhere." Kiba stated.

Shikamaru's eyes widened at Kiba's words as the hospitalized boy struggled to bring his arm up to his own face. Shikamaru glanced questioningly and cautiously at his friend's struggling and grunting, but Kiba ignored it. He slowly moved his hand to his forehead. Shikamaru's expression turned into one of genuine happiness and gratitude when he realized that what Kiba was doing with his hand, was saluting him.

Shikamaru smiled ear to ear as he walked back to Kiba's side and hugged him gently.

"Thank you Kiba. I won't fail any of you again."

Kiba smiled as he shook his head at the boy. "You never did."

At this, Shikamaru just tightened the hug a bit more, as tears of joy fell silently from his face when he closed his eyes amidst Kiba's embrace. He stayed like this for a good 10 seconds until he finally got off of Kiba. He wiped his eyes of the joyful tears. He suddenly noticed Kiba's dog, Akamaru lying on a smaller bed next to his owner.

"So how's Akamaru?" The raven said as he walked over to Kiba's companion pup. He had a small wooden support tied to his front right leg, and a patch on his left ear. His little head was buried in his paws as he slept comfortably.

"He should be fine, thanks for asking. Yeah he looked better than me when all was said and done, so that's good."

Shikamaru turned his head back to Kiba, and gave him a smiling nod. "Yeah, you bet it is."

Kiba laughed as Shikamaru walked back to the door.

"Kiba, thanks for everything. You really did make me feel better."

"No problem Shikamaru, anytime. By the way, say hi to Naruto for me, would you? And tell me how he's doing too, when you get the chance. These God damn nurses don't tell me _anything_ around here.

"You got it buddy." Shikamaru laughed. "I'll see you later, get well soon!" He yelled as he waved his friend goodbye.


	2. Following the Fool

_**Following the Fool**_

Shikamaru closed Kiba's door behind him, walking once again back into the hallway of the hospital. He continued down the stretch of flooring, looking down at the list of names and corresponding room numbers.

_Time to see Mr. Hyperactive. Hope he's awake._ The raven thought.

The hospital was really dark in the morning. Nurses wanted to make sure that the patients all woke up in some natural sunlight rather than having a light come on at some random time. And it only made it harder for Shikamaru, because he couldn't see worth a damn.

He kept walking down the hospital hallway when he spotted a long window to his right just up ahead. Light was shining through it onto the floor, with the shadows of the tree branches scattering the light. The boy walked over to it and placed the list on the windowsill. He unfolded it to see the names and numbers.

_Naruto…Uzumaki…_ Shika searched down the list in the sunlight. He ran his finger down the rows until he saw Naruto's name. _ Room 342. Huh, that's strange. I thought Naruto was on THIS floor. Whatever, what a drag.._

Shikamaru folded the paper back up and proceeded to the elevator. He needed to see Naruto. He _needed to_ so badly. The last time he had spoken a word to the blonde was when he let him go on ahead after Kimimaro, who had Sasuke in a casket.

Shikamaru folded the list back up and put it in his pocket and proceeded down the hallway to the elevator from whence he came. Hands in his pockets, he paced down the hallway and into the elevator, which had never left his floor. He pressed '3' for the 3rd floor and waited in the elevator. Horrible cliché elevator music came on through the speaker in the ceiling.

As he was surrounded in the music, his mind dulled out of the normal world as he recalled his last words to Naruto.

_~FLASHBACK~_

_Naruto jumped up onto a tree branch above Shikamaru's battle with the flute goddess of the sound four, looking out at the path ahead. _

"_NARUTO!" The raven yelled at the top of his lungs at the determined shinobi._

_The blonde slowly turned his head to glance back at Shikamaru, who had a look of worry plastered on his face. The shadow ninja locked eyes with the blonde and gasped when he looked into Naruto's eyes, which were not normal. They were fierce, and they were red._

"_Please don't go! It's too dangerous!" He continued to yell as he still received no response from his friend, who continued do nothing but look back at him._

"_Shikamaru, I know why you're concerned. But I—" Naruto spoke as Shikamaru looked upon him like a lost child clinging to a source of comfort._

_Naruto shifted his gaze back into the never ending trees and closed his eyes._

"_I need to do this. I am the only one who can bring him back."_

_A single tear ran down the raven's face._

"_I know."_

_With that, Naruto took off into the labyrinth of trees, hopping from tree to tree, knowing full well that chasing after Sasuke alone could lead to his death. In fact, he fully acknowledged that there was a good chance that he wasn't going to make it home. But if Sasuke made it at the cost of the blonde's life, then he was happy either way. He then thought of Shikamaru, and that it was very likely that that was going to be the last time he ever met his eyes or spoke with him, and all of his other comrades and teachers. At this thought, Naruto hopped from branch to branch, tears streaming from his crimson eyes._

_~END FLASHBACK~ _

Shikamaru stepped out of the elevator when the beep of the lift awoke him from his trance. He paced down the hallway to find Room 342. He searched the labels, as he did with Kiba's room. He found it, and it said "Uzumaki Naruto" on an old ragged piece of paper, unlike all the other labels, which were etched in brilliant metal. Shikamaru clenched his fist. After everything Naruto has done for the village, this just proves that they still don't give a damn about his well-being.

He lightly knocked on the door and tilted his head to the door to hear even the faintest notion of Naruto approving of entry. When he heard nothing, he knocked again. Still nothing.

"God dammit." The raven sighed. He twisted the door handle, which was unlocked. Normally, Shikamaru wouldn't enter under these circumstances, but his need to see Naruto overweighed his etiquette and good manners. He decided, to hell with manners.

He opened the door to find Naruto with a blanket over his face, and one thing in the room that made the raven's heart stop. Naruto's heart monitor had flatlined. He immediately ran over to his bedside and uncovered Naruto's face from behind the blanket. What he saw shocked him and made his heart skip a beat. Naruto's face was pale white; his eyes wide open with a shocked expression on his face. Shikamaru immediately put his hands together and initiated CPR. Deathly scared for the blonde, he pumped his chest faster and faster.

"Shit, Come on, come ON!" The raven yelled. He started the rescue breaths. He tilted Naruto's chin back, pinched his nose, and began to give him mouth to mouth. He clenched his eyes shut, afraid of what was going to happen next. He knew as he did CPR that at this moment, that Naruto was dead, lying motionless in front of him.

Shikamaru slowly put his head down, burying his face in Naruto's chest as he began to sob uncontrollably.

"N-Nar-uto.." I-I had s-so much I wanted to tell you!" Shikamaru's tears soaked Naruto's hospital garment. "Please..Please don't leave me alone! Please don't leave me here! Not like this!"

Shikamaru sobbed even harder, suppressing the noise by burying his face in Naruto's chest.

"Don't go. Don't go! I can't lose you!" He screamed. "NARUTO!"

His voice echoed through the room. His face was planted in Naruto's chest, and he placed his hand into his and gently grasped it. His lips trembled with sadness as he closed his eyes. It was at this moment when he gasped as he felt fingers closing around his hand.

Shikamaru's feelings were indescribable. He looked up to see his hand was connected to Naruto's through two fingers intertwined in each other's. Once again, the raven adopted the look of the lost child again as he had in the woods, with tears glistening his face and streaming down his cheeks. He raised his head up and looked at Naruto, who had regained color in his face and eyes. His eyes were no longer that dull shade of gray, but a deep ocean blue.

With tremendous strength, he put his head up to look at Shikamaru, who was still in a state of shock which was now intertwined with happiness. His lips were still trembling, this time with joy. Shikamaru closed his eyes as he brought his hand up to wipe away a tear.

The raven choked out a familiar laugh behind his disappearing sobs as he wiped his eyes.

"Hey buddy, so how're you holding up?" Shikamaru still couldn't believe it. The fact that he had come just in time was a blessing in disguise.

Naruto just looked at him, still appearing to be dazed and confused. He looked around the room as if he were in heaven, presuming that he was dead.

"Shika-….Shikamaru.." He choked out, "I'm fine now, thank you."

"For what?" Shikamaru questioned, knowing that there was no way in Hell that Naruto could have known that he had just revived him.

"Thank you.. for letting me go."

Shikamaru immediately thought of their encounter in the woods when he had let Naruto go after Sasuke alone.

"No, no. Don't thank me for that. When it all boils down, you wouldn't be here if I had let you go."

"No. That doesn't matter." Naruto interrupted with a hoarse voice, similar to Kiba's only a tad weaker. He looked at the shadow ninja with a stern and sincere expression. "Don't blame something on yourself that wasn't your fault." Shikamaru returned the stern stare and nodded.

"Understood." The boy replied.

Naruto nodded in return and after a moment jolted forward in remembrance. He turned to Shikamaru.

"Where….is…Sasuke." Naruto slowly said nervously yet purposefully.

Shikamaru clenched his teeth and did not reply. Naruto, regaining some of his former energy, grasped the collar of the boy's chunin vest, pulled him toward his face, and angrily stared into Shikamaru's nervous eyes.

"N-Naru.. Let me go, please.."

"Where.. IS HE!" Naruto clenched the vest even harder.

_Hm. How troublesome. How am I going to put this? I was never good at dropping bad news._

And it was true. Shikamaru always took the subtle way out, never taking it head on. In this case however,

_I can take it head on.. Just this once.._

He reached into his vest pocket, never taking his eyes off of Naruto's. His stare went from nervous to serous in a heartbeat. Naruto looked at Shikamaru, and then shifted to what the raven was fumbling around with in his pocket.

Shikamaru pulled out a headband from his pocket. Sasuke's headband.

Naruto followed the blue cloth the boy was bringing up to eye level. He brought it up to a nervous Naruto, and flipped it over to reveal a metal with the Konoha emblem embedded in the steel. There was a rough scrape through it. Naruto couldn't help but stare at it.

"Wha—what's this..?" Naruto asked in a low voice.

Shikamaru stared at Naruto with a heartfelt, somber gaze that pierced his soul. A single tear dropped from Naruto's right eye as he started to shake his head slowly in disbelief.

"No, no this—this can't.." Naruto reached for the headband. He grasped it and took it into his hands. His eyes closed halfway as he took a moment to examine the headband.

"No. No doubt about it." Naruto looked back up at Shikamaru. "This is his, isn't it."

Shikamaru looked at him and closed his eyes halfway and looked diagonally behind him at the floor.

"ISN'T IT!"

Shikamaru gasped as he quickly brought his face back to Naruto's. He took a breath.

"It is Sasuke's."

Naruto clenched the headband in anger briefly until he brought it back down onto his lap. Tears dripped down into the grooves of the emblem.

"Why… Shikamaru. Why?" Naruto asked.

"Why?" The blonde's voice became a bit higher pitched as his questioning turned into a sob.

"Why do I always fail! I trained, _so… hard…_ and I'm still weak.." Naruto cried to the heavens. Shikamaru just let him express his feelings to him, just as both Kiba and Lady Tsunade had with himself. It was the best for him.

"Naruto, it is ok." Shikamaru daringly said as Naruto shot him a look.

"No, Shikamaru, it's not. It's far from ok God, DAMMIT!" Naruto pounded his fist on the bedside table in his rage and left Shikamaru sorry he said anything.

"Naruto, I know that you're angry, and I know that you are sad and that you're hurting inside because of what Sasuke has done to you. But—"

"Shikamaru, I am not hurting inside because of what Sasuke has done." The blonde interrupted as Shikamaru's eyes widened at his compelling statement.

"I am hurting inside because of what I failed to do." Naruto said, calming down and coming to his senses.

"Naruto.." Shikamaru whispered. "You failed no one."

"I failed myself, and I failed Sasuke as his…best friend." Naruto muttered.

Shikamaru just looked at him. "No, you did not. He failed us by turning to that rotten snake, Orochimaru. Naruto, please, we all fought to our last breaths, but we have to face it. At our level, it just wasn't enough."

Naruto listened to the shadow user with reluctant and somber understanding.

"Then I will train until it is enough. I will train until I am great enough to bring him home." Naruto sincerely said, looking at Shikamaru with a glimmer of determination in his eyes.

Shikamaru sighed. Naruto never was one to give up. It was his nindo, after all.

"You can never be sure though! What makes you think that you can bring him home with such grace? What is your drive, Naruto!"

"Sasuke _IS_ my drive." He said sternly as Shikamaru grunted and walked from the bedside to stare at the light of dawn. Naruto looked over at him, observing the light that so easily touched his face through the glass.

After a moment, Shikamaru opened his mouth.

"Why do you insist on being a fool, Naruto?"

The blonde continued to listen to Shikamaru's words.

"You need to be wise in order to become… a Hokage."

Naruto's eyes widened and he turned his head and looked down at Sasuke's headband, which was reflecting the light back onto the blonde's face.

"That _is_ your dream, isn't it?" Shikamaru looked back at Naruto to see him, eyes now half-open staring down at Sasuke's headband. Naruto said nothing.

"A fool is a fool. We are children if we cannot let go of things in the past. For a shinobi, fate is the determining factor of our lives, and it is fate that has and will probably always steer us from what we want." Shikamaru explained.

Naruto kept staring at the headband while taking in Shikamaru's words.

"So, Naruto. Which is it? Are you a shinobi, or are you a fool." Shikamaru turned to face the blonde as he did the same.

"Answer me this, Shikamaru. How can I be Hokage, when I can't even save a friend?"

Shikamaru's expression turned to one of wonder and shock. He did not reply. After a moment, Naruto grasped Sasuke's headband as he sat up in the hospital bed.

"So here is your answer, Shikamaru." Naruto stated.

"If being wise means letting go of your free will, if being wise means letting fate decide your future, letting it dictate your actions.."

Shikamaru listened with the same look of wonder on his face.

"If being wise means simply letting your friends throw their souls away to darkness, without any resistance…"

Naruto adopted a look of determination and pride in himself.

"Then I will be a fool for the rest of my life."

Shikamaru's eyes widened at Naruto's words. He had clear resolve. The raven sighed as he turned back at the window, looking out at the sunrise.

"Hm. So that's how it is.." Shikamaru said as Naruto maintained his sincerity in his words.

"Well, like I said, a fool is a fool. But hey, sometimes it is best to follow them. You can learn a lot from a fool."

Naruto, surprised at Shikamaru's response, looked upon him with optimism, wondering what he was going to say next.

"Congratulations Naruto, you answered correctly." Shikamaru beamed.

"And once you are out of the hospital, I am going to help you."

"Really! Shika, thank you again." Naruto exclaimed.

"Hm. You're so troublesome, you know that?" Shikamaru said in a generic tone.

"I told you before, Naruto. Don't thank me." The raven reminded.

"You'll be thanking yourself when you bring Sasuke back home to Konoha. That's a promise."

Naruto found the strength to get out of bed. He got up, and walked over to the window where Shikamaru was standing in the dim orange sunlight. Noticing Naruto approaching, Shikamaru turned around, but was stopped mid way when Naruto pulled him into a tight hug. The sunlight beamed down on the two of them, igniting their embrace in the bright light of their future.

"Hm. Naruto?" Shikamaru whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm glad I met you."

"Me too." Naruto smiled.


End file.
